Dreamatorium
by cockycute
Summary: Annie and Abed can't face the world today and decide to call in sick and play in the Dreamatorium.


I brushed my hair and pinned it back off of my face with two bobby pins. Just the way I liked it. I put all of my books in my backpack and headed out the door so that I wouldn't be late for community college. Three years ago, I could barely make it out of bed. The thought of how far off-track my life had gone was almost bone-crushing. Before I became addicted to pills, I had a shot at being valedictorian. The pressure was just too much for me to handle I guess, and I cracked. That's all in the past now though, and I'm working to get my life back on track. One thing I've learned about community college, is that no matter how far your life veers from the path you wanted it to take, if you try long enough and hard enough, there's always a way to get back to where you wanted to be.  
I heard a loud crash and ran out to see Abed on the ground in his pajamas with a bunch of broken plates next to him.  
"Abed! What happened?" I shook my head. " Look, I know you're sad about your falling-out with Troy, but I'm sure he's back by now, I mean, it's been three months, and you two are best friends, you'll work it out." Abed didn't respond, so I decided to drop it. I knew that he was hurting, but I didn't think that I would be able to get him to talk about it. I sighed. "Go get ready so you won't be late. I'll help you clean this up." I started picking up the broken plate pieces and throwing them in the trash. Abed left to get dressed. I didn't expect him to help me when he came back out. He was in a bad place right now, but even if he hadn't been, it still would have been out of character for him. I swept the remaining pieces into a dustbin and emptied it out into the trash. I looked into the open door of the Dreamatorium where I assumed Abed had rushed out of right before he broke the plates. I walked over to the door, closed it, and sighed. If only there were a real place like the Dreamatorium. A place where anything was possible, a place where you could escape from all of your problems indefinitely and your friends never left you. Unfortunately, the Dreamatorium was just a glorified playroom in a cruel world where where your friends left you because they were seduced by the possibility of success, a world where you couldn't escape the shadows of your former glory, the reminders of your wasted potential, all you could have achieved, if only you had had the strength to reach for it and had gotten back up after you had fallen to the ground. I sank to my knees, put my head in my hands, and started to cry. I called the dean and told him that I wasn't feeling well and that I wouldn't make it to school today, and, for the first time ever, I skipped school.

Once I was done crying, I changed back into my pajamas. I couldn't face the world today, and I was feeling so fragile that wearing clothes just felt like one more adult obligation that I couldn't handle right now. I walked towards Abed's room and knocked on his door. "Abed, I don't think that I'm going to school today, but if you want to go, you should probably leave soon-" Abed interrupted me. "You're skipping the first day of class?"  
"Yes."  
"But isn't the first day one of the most important days?"  
"Yes, it is, but I just don't feel up to it today."  
"Oh, Okay. I don't think I'm going either." Abed responded in his quick, clipped way. "I'm going to the Dreamatorium." Abed got up and left.  
"Oh, Abed? Do you mind if I join you?"  
"Sure."

When we walked into the Dreamatorium, it was like stepping into a flawless dream world.(Hence the name) It was a perfect escape from the rules and responsibilities of adult life. I had put so much pressure on myself from such a young age, that I had never really had a childhood. It was nice to recapture some of the magic that I had missed by playing with Abed. Abed pretended that he was the title character in a show called _Inspector Timespace_. I had only seen a few episodes of it, but I still had fun acting it out. Eventually, we got hungry, so I made us lunch. While we were eating, he asked me a question, completely out of the blue. "Are you still in love with Jeff?"  
I was shocked. "What?!"  
"Are you still in love with Jeff?"  
"Abed, why are you asking me this?"  
"Just curious. At one point, it seemed like you were in love with him, but now, it doesn't really seem like you are anymore."  
"I don't think that I was ever really 'in love' with Jeff, I guess I just had a crush on him because he was older and he seemed so worldly and confident. I admired him, and I guess that the type of crush that I had on him was mostly due to me wanting to be him than wanting to be with him."  
"But you don't have a crush on him anymore."  
"No, I don't, I guess I've grown up. I realize that I'm my own woman, and I don't need a boyfriend to be happy. Why all the questions Abed? Do you want to talk about Troy? It's okay to let it out, Abed, I know that he was your friend, and what he did really hurt you. If you want to talk, I'm here for you." I put my hand over his to reassure him, and he did something that really surprised me. He leaned over and kissed me. He was much better at kissing than I thought he would be, considering how little practice he got. (At least to my knowledge.) Despite my enjoyment of the kiss, I pulled away. "Abed! What are you doing?!"  
"I don't know. I'm sorry, Annie." Abed ran back to his room.  
"No! Abed wait! It's okay, I was just surprised, I'm not mad at you!" I knocked on his door. He let me in.  
"Want to go to the Dreamatorium?" I asked him.  
"Sure." I smiled and held open the door for him. We walked back into a dream world where we could escape our problems for the afternoon. I knew it wouldn't last forever, but for now, playing a game with a friend that I had just kissed was exactly the way I wanted to end my afternoon.


End file.
